MARC Halethorpe Station opens

The MARC Halethorpe Station in Maryland is open after a two-year, $32.7 million reconstruction project.

"In Maryland, with our federal, state and local partners, we invest in transit because it creates construction and design jobs for middle class families and because it eases traffic congestion and helps people get to work and get home faster and more conveniently," said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Improving our transportation infrastructure also makes Maryland an even more attractive place for companies to invest and create jobs."

The Halethorpe station is one of the five busiest stops on the Penn Line, used by 1,300 MARC passengers every day. The Halethorpe renovation project significantly improves the speed and ease of using the station for daily MARC passengers and comes as ridership system-wide continues to soar. Average weekday ridership on MARC has increased 24 percent between FY 2007 and FY 2013. In fact, the average daily ridership on MARC reached nearly 39,000 passengers in the month of June, an all-time record.

Improvements at the Halethorpe MARC Station, include two new 700-foot-long, high-level platforms; pedestrian bridge; elevators; Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks/ramps; full platform-length canopies; kiss-and-ride drop-off location; lighting and public address system; restrooms and new landscaping and ticket area.